380 LOADS

I just purchased a 380 and have a bunch of 9mm 115 gr. round nose bullets. Has anyone tried using this heavy of a bullet in a 380? I am using Bullseye Powder. Any information will help. Thanks, Scott

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TN Shooter

November 20, 2006, 06:04 PM

I think you will find that the ogive on the 115 gr. 9mm bullets is too long for the .380 round. In other words, if you seated the bullet deep enough in the .380 case to maintain the proper overall length, the case mouth might be unsupported.

CZ57

November 23, 2006, 12:40 PM

scott: you can find data in the SPEER and Lyman manuals. I think TN Shooter makes a good point about possible issues with 115 gr. bullets. It will be trial and error to see if you can get proper neck tension (crimp) on the bullet you have. OACL max. is .984", so I'd be inclined to pass on FMJ and stick to JHPs. Powders as slow as HS-6 are recommended. My Lyman manual shows data for a JHP only, while the SPEER shows data for the JHP and FMJ. The SPEER data is from the #11 manual and while it may seem warm, it conforms to the SAAMI pressure max. for .380 ACP at 21,500 PSI, although it was tested in the CUP system with a max. of 18,900. The SPEER load starts at 3.0 grains with a max. of 3.2 grains of Bullseye. The Lyman start load is 2.0 grains and the max. load shown is 2.9 grains with a pressure of 15,100 CUP. The Lyman load is from an older manual also and used a 115 gr. Hornady JHP loaded to .956" OACL, but the bullet has been discontinued. Pressure is mild enough to make the data serviceable for other 115 gr. jacketed bullets. If you can use the 115 gr. FMJ, you'll probably need to seat bullets at or near the OACL max. of .984". Whether or not your pistol will function with the longer load will be a question as well.;)

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